Wendell Farquhar

Wonderful Wendell, a name he earned as a child that followed him until today. Wendell William Farquhar passed away at 77 years of age on Friday December 3rd 2021. A man whose talent knew no bounds; pioneer of Elliot Lake since 1958, entertaining student of ELHS (aka ELSS), milkman, proud owner of a soft ice cream stand, manager of a car dealership in family business, and finally- his pièce de résistance- “GRAVEL”. Loving husband of Brenda and father to Duane and Deric (deceased). Exceptional father in-law to Raquelle. Devoted grandfather to Teal, Denver, Jade, Reese and Nash. Wendell is well remembered by his special nieces and nephews, dear friends, and sisters in-law Faye and Penny. His siblings, all deceased, Tom, Fran, and Karen always used to say ‘Wenny’ was mum’s favourite and they knew why because he was their favourite too. Wendell had a knack of making everyone he encountered feel important. He always showed up when it mattered. Over the past 55 years in business, Wendell was recognized as an honourable, astute, and generous man. He was widely regarded as one who always gave everyone a fair shake and modelled his life according to the poem ‘Desiderata’. Behind this great businessman is a devoted and exceptional aggregate team. Wendell, who could be better known to many as “Pappy”, was always the one to crack the first joke- the ones that would leave you walking away thinking, “How do you even come up with things like that?” As the official family driving instructor, Pappy spent many years teaching his children and grandchildren how to drive. So if you see someone running a red, you’ll know its a Farquhar. While many admired his stylish appearance, Wendell’s best kept secret was Brenda- who painstakingly pinned all his outfits together for many of his traveling golf trips. His other love came in the form of pit tours and the checking of job sites. You can be sure that he knew if someone took an extra pail of gravel from one of his pits. If you think that rocks can’t make a man happy, you didn’t know Pappy. His “GRAVEL” license plate drove around Elliot Lake like the presidents’ vehicle. Stood out like a sore thumb, especially with the 10ft antenna sticking out on top. The Tim Hortons’ line up should be significantly faster in the mornings as well, now that they don’t have to triple toast Wendell’s cinnamon raisin bagel and complete a coffee order for everyone at his shop. Every drive thru pull-up started with, “Karen speaking, the usual Wendell?” To which he would reply, “Is this the good-looking Karen or the ugly one?”. There wasn’t a happier time for him than while he lived at camp. Every warm summer night concluded with a lakeside bonfire, Céline Dion and Josh Groban playing a little too loudly on his speaker, and stories that we had to vow to take to the grave with us before hearing. That was his sanctuary, his favourite place, his castle, and the place he got to remain until he took his final breath. His love of music followed him his whole life and hereafter was his saving grace in his final weeks. His memory survives in watching the sunset and a cold glass of milk with dinner. You can bet that he is somewhere on the beach right now, under the warm sun, walking slowly in the ocean water with a smile on his face and shoes slung over his shoulder. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the St. Joseph’s Hospital Capitol Equipment or St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and pray that the Toronto Maple Leafs win the next Stanley Cup Playoffs. Thank-you to the Dr’s and staff of the HSN and Cancer Centre, our dear Dr’s Jack Long and Mike Stirling, Chris and Stacy, Bayshore Nurses Suzanne and Kimberly, and our nurse angel Liz. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Alternative Funeral Services.